Two-part course designed to provide farmers with a strong background in soils, weeds and pest management, enabling them to make good management decisions. Lectures by Eric Sideman, MOFGA's organic crop specialist. Guest lecturers, including local farmers, will also speak and join the discussion. Information and registration.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

The Killing Fields: Industrial Agriculture, Dead Zones and Genetically Engineered CornHuffington Post - 8/1/2013. By Elizabeth Kucinich - Scientists are predicting one of the largest dead zones ever in the Gulf of Mexico this year, with estimates ranging from 7,286 to 8,561 square miles, or as large as the state of New Jersey. Dead zones are the oxygen-deprived bottom waters of bays and oceans. The lack of oxygen kills off bottom-dwelling marine organisms and chases away others that can no longer survive in them.

National Farmers Union supports country-of-origin meat labelingLaCross Tribune - 8/1/2013. The National Farmers Union has agreed to intervene in a federal court case that seeks to block implementation of new U.S. meat label rules. “We are intervening in this lawsuit in order to stand up for the USDA’s final Country-of-Origin rule,” said Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

Want to become an urban naturalist? Try trailing a toddlerGrist - 8/1/2013. By Emma Marris - I write about environmental science for a living, and I consider myself a pretty big nature fan. When I’m out in a park on an officially nature-centric outing, I am able to slow down, calm down, and really enjoy the flora and fauna, large and small. And my kids get free rein.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Keynote speaker John Aber and a panel of farmers focus on weather- and climate-related changes farmers are experiencing. Includes open discussion on strategies for farmers to deal with changing climate. Information and registration.

Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, Houlton Higher Education Center, Rm 110, 18 Military St, Houlton. Presented by Eric Sideman, Crop Specialist, MOFGA. Hosted by the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. The class is the second in a three-part high tunnel series funded by the Broad Reach Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. 1 pesticide credit is available through the class. A complementary lunch will be served. Pre-registration is requested. Contact the SASWCD at 532-2087 x 101 or angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net

11 a.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Join this panel of experts on local sustainability in their discussion of the importance of public food forests, public orcharding, edible street trees, permablitzing and community gardens. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

Two-part course designed to provide farmers with a strong background in soils, weeds and pest management, enabling them to make good management decisions. Lectures by Eric Sideman, MOFGA's organic crop specialist, and local farmers. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Locations: Palermo with Angus Deighan; Beech Hill Farm, Mount Desert with C.J. Walke; or Kermit Nickerson School, Swanville with Sean Murphy. Do you have old trees on your land that you would like to bring back into production? Learn how to renovate and tend your heritage trees. $50 non-members; $35 members. Information and registration.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.